Indonesian in bomb plot over Rohingya treatment

An armed policeman stands guard at a house cordoned off after neighbours called police when they saw a cloud of smoke rising from the home in Jakarta on Sept 6, 2012. An Indonesian terror suspect has surrendered himself and confessed to a suicide bomb plot against Buddhists in Jakarta to protest against Myanmar's treatment of Muslim Rohingya, police said on Monday. -- PHOTO: AFP

JAKARTA (AFP) - An Indonesian terror suspect has surrendered himself and confessed to a suicide bomb plot against Buddhists in Jakarta to protest against Myanmar's treatment of Muslim Rohingya, police said on Monday.

A man who identified as Muhammad Toriq turned himself in on Sunday, national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said. The suspected militant fled his house in a Jakarta suburb last week after neighbours reported seeing smoke rising from it.

Police had launched a manhunt for him after discovering detonators, boxes of nails, sulphur and other explosive materials at his home. "We confirm Toriq has turned himself in," Mr Amar told reporters. "Based on preliminary investigations, he planned to carry out suicide bombings today (Monday)," he said.

It was unclear why he decided to surrender. Toriq's potential targets were the elite Brimob police headquarters, the office of the Detachment 88 anti-terror police, a police station and "Buddhist community", all in Jakarta,Mr Amar said. "It's related to the Rohingya issue in Myanmar. (He) believed it's unfair to Muslims there," he added, explaining why Toriq was targeting the Buddhist community.